May I Have This Dance?
by SasuNarufan13
Summary: Harry Potter disappeared more than a year ago. Now they finally have information that may lead them to him. It takes attending a ball to find out the truth. Slash; MPreg; set several years after the war; more warnings inside
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: A day too late, but here's my Halloween fic for HP! Well, the first part of it, anyway *coughs* It's been a while since I last wrote something for HP, so hopefully I haven't lost my touch yet LMAO**

**Warnings for this part: OC pov; set several years after the war; slash; MPreg**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.**

**I hope you'll like this first part!**

* * *

**Part 1**

"I called you all here, because I received information about Harry Potter's whereabouts," Shacklebolt announced gravely and at once a hush fell over the room.

"Real information? That we can trust?" Weasley croaked out, taking a step forwards. His eyes were wide; hope and suspicion clearly warring on his face.

Darren couldn't blame him. Since Potter had disappeared during a mission a bit more than a year ago, information about him had been quite sparse. Of course there had been those claiming they had valuable information about him, eager to rank in the reward money, but all those leads had either been utter bullshit or they had turned out to be useless.

Their hope to find him had been raised three months ago when they'd finally captured the two criminals Potter had been hunting down before he disappeared, but they had turned out to have nothing to do with his disappearance. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Potter had simply disappeared into thin air. Nobody had seen him since the morning he'd left to arrest the two criminals. Nobody had heard any sort of rumour which could be useful. Given that they were talking about Potter here, one of the most famous people of the twenty-first century in their world now, that was beyond strange.

Whoever had made Potter disappear was damn good at covering his tracks and keeping him hidden from the rest of the world.

Until now it seemed.

Shacklebolt's eyes briefly softened when they landed on Weasley, before they hardened again and he nodded once. "Yes, it's information we can trust. I received it from one of my informants and that person has never let me down before."

"How sure about this information are they?" Chrissy asked suspiciously, crossing her arms underneath her breasts. Aside from Weasley, she'd been one of the people closest to Potter at their department before he'd disappeared.

"Eighty-five percent," Shacklebolt replied, his hands resting on the back of the chair. "I'd say that number's high enough that we can put our trust in it."

Murmuring of assent swept through the small room like a wave. Eighty-five percent was a lot higher than they'd dared to dream of.

"So, what's the information?" Weasley demanded instantly, leaning so far across the table Darren was surprised he hadn't lost his balance yet. "Does your informant know where we can find Harry?"

At this Shacklebolt pursed his lips and he raised his left hand. "I will tell you what he told me, but you have to stay quiet until I finish. Especially you, Ron." He threw him a warning look, making the other man frown deeply.

"The information that outrageous?" Kelly asked, tilting his head slightly to the right. He was one of the best Trackers the department had ever seen and he'd taken it as a personal insult that he hadn't been able to find Potter yet.

"It's about the one who possibly has Harry as his captive."

Even if they hadn't been paying attention before, that titbit of information definitely had all of them focusing on their boss. They had gone more than a year now without even the slightest hint about Potter's fate – and now they possibly had the jackpot of all information, the identity of the person who'd taken Potter?

That seemed a bit too good to be true, even with how much Shacklebolt seemed to trust his informant.

"You have his identity?" Darren inquired curiously. Would it be a known criminal? Was it someone still loyal to You-Know-Who?

No, probably not that latter, he reflected at once. If it was someone with ties to the dark wizard, Potter wouldn't be alive anymore. Shacklebolt's information seemed to imply that Potter was still alive wherever he was being kept, so that ruled out any Death Eaters hoping to somehow bring back their dead lord.

"A suspect, yes," Shacklebolt corrected him and he inclined his head, chastised. "According to my informant, Harry can be found in the manor of an old Pureblood family." Here he paused and cast a wary look at Weasley. "The manor of the Malfoys to be exact."

A beat of silence then the room exploded in shouting and cursing, the latter mostly due to Weasley, who was as red as a tomato now and swearing up a storm, shouting he'd kill that ferret bastard.

Darren had no idea who he was referring to with that particular comment, but didn't let himself get distracted by it. Instead he pondered over the information, ignoring the commotion happening around him while Shacklebolt tried to regain a semblance of order back in the group.

The Malfoys, huh? Being younger than most people in this room, he had no personal experience with the Malfoy family. Oh sure, he knew who they were; being a Pureblood himself (albeit from a small family, considered less important than the Malfoys or even the Greengrass') he'd grown up being taught about the other families, learning who would be best suited to make an alliance with and which families he was better off avoiding.

The Malfoys had been labelled as the family to avoid unless in dire circumstances. Their ties to the Dark side were too pertinent to be able to sweep underneath the rug and their dalliance with You-Know-Who certainly hadn't done their reputation any favours, even if the son and the wife had been cleared during the Big Trials. Because of Potter's testimony no less, Darren remembered.

Malfoy Senior was still residing in Azkaban, serving a fifteen year sentence, but his wife had retreated to their manor, only occasionally gracing certain Pureblood events with her presence. Their son had started his own Brewery business if Darren recalled correctly and was quickly making a name for himself in the Potions world. There were rumours that he was harbouring political ambitions as well, even with his father in Azkaban, but if he did, he hadn't acted on them so far.

All in all, the Malfoy family had kept to themselves after the war. They couldn't even catch the son brewing illegal potions, even though some of Darren's colleagues had tried.

Darren couldn't think of any reason why either the wife or the son would risk their freedom to abduct Potter and keep him for … Yes, for what exactly? It wasn't for ransom obviously; despite the fee they'd been ordered to pay, they were still quite affluent and the Brewery was thriving. No ransom demand had been made either.

An attempt to have You-Know-Who return? If that was the case, they would have made that attempt already and considering there was no You-Know-Who wreaking havoc, Darren assumed that either such an attempt had never been planned or it had failed miserably. If it was the latter, then why would they keep Potter alive?

This new piece of information had only complicated the case further, instead of clearing it up.

"SILENCE!"

Darren jumped, ripped out of his thoughts abruptly by Shacklebolt's shouted demand. The others fell silent immediately; none of them stupid enough to go against that order.

Shacklebolt glared at them, waited until they had stopped shuffling around and straightened up again, becoming calm once more now that he had their undivided attention.

"As I said, they're merely a suspect for now and until we have definite proof, they will be treated as such. That means no charging the manor and arresting them on sight." That last comment appeared to be particularly aimed at Weasley, who glared, but remained quiet.

"Then how are we supposed to get this proof?" Chrissy asked put out. "We can't enter their manor without having reasonable cause. To get this cause we would have to get into their manor and find Harry. The word of an informant isn't enough anymore," she added upset.

"We have a reasonable cause: an invitation to their Halloween ball." From his pocket, Shacklebolt unearthed a thick card. The parchment was a soft buttery yellow and the black ink of the words gleamed faintly in the light.

"How did you get an invitation to their ball?" Kelly asked incredulously. "They're notoriously hard to get; even the Greengrass family has trouble obtaining them and they're as Pure as they come!"

Shacklebolt smiled thinly. "My informant has their ways. I can assure you this is a legitimate invitation."

"Who's going undercover then?" Weasley asked troubled. "I can't do it; Malfoy will recognise me."

And he probably wouldn't be able to hold himself back from cursing the son either, judging by the way he had his wand clenched.

"We need someone who won't stand out, who'll be able to blend in with the other attendees," Shacklebolt said slowly. "Someone who knows the ins and outs of the Pureblood culture and whose own lineage won't ring any alarm bells."

One by one, everyone's gaze fell upon Darren and he hid his grimace. Right, guess there wasn't any real question anymore who would be fit for the job.

"I'll do it," he agreed resigned.

He supposed that this could be considered a dire situation. He just hoped he wouldn't risk his neck for nothing.

* * *

It was rather funny.

Even though the majority of the Pureblood families wouldn't be caught dead interacting with one of the Malfoys in public, they were all desperate to attend one of their parties. They held three each year: on Beltane, Halloween and during Christmas and their parties were the talk of the community. If one were to receive a personal invitation, they were sure to be the envy of everyone else.

Nobody aside from the attendees knew what exactly went on during these parties. There were rumours that alliances were made, blood pacts created, potential marriages discussed and even Dark Arts performed. There were even claims that magical creatures – most of them listed too dangerous to possess - traded hands there. Vampires and werewolves were rumoured to attend as well, together with goblins and other humanoid beings. Perhaps it was the secrecy surrounding these grand balls which made them so enticing to people, perhaps there was some truth to the rumours.

Whichever it was, the balls at Malfoy Manor were the summum of each season; an invitation to them highly coveted. Everyone desired to attend, but only a select few would be fortunate enough to receive an invitation.

Darren was now considered one of those unfortunate few, but he couldn't help wondering darkly whether he was really lucky. He Apparated to the edge of the wards, glancing at them warily when he spotted their shimmer, and adjusted his mask carefully.

The only aspect he considered to be fortunate tonight was the fact that the Malfoys required all their guests to wear masks. He very much doubted either of the Malfoys would recognise him as someone of the Ministry – he tended to keep a low profile – but the presence of the mask put him a bit more at ease, knowing that it made him anonymous. His dark clothes would allow him to blend in with the other guests until the time came that he could slip away and leave in search of Potter.

"Here I go," he muttered underneath his breath and approached the gates, pulling the invitation out of his pocket.

A house elf popped up on his right and chirped, "Invitation, please, sir!"

He showed the little being his card and it smiled brightly, dipping down in a short bow before it snapped his fingers twice. The gates swung open silently, revealing a long, winding path to the manor looming white against the night sky. He nodded at the house elf and strode up the path; the gates closing behind him soundlessly.

The large door of the manor opened when he was two steps away from it, bright warm light spilling generously through the opening. At once his ears were assaulted by loud music and the chattering of people in a nearby room. He entered the hallway cautiously, casting a quick look around, noting the wide, marble staircase right across from the door.

The music was coming from his right and he was greeted by the clinking of champagne glasses and a girl's soft laughter when he walked into the ballroom. The room itself was large, of course, a multitude of candles floating high above their heads. Tables decked in orange and black cloth had been stationed against the walls, plates overflowing with all kinds of dishes challenging the furniture's ability to hold their weight. There was a spiral staircase in the right corner of the room, leading to Merlin knew where.

House elves were walking around, offering sparkling champagne, red wine or something much stronger for the ones in the mood for it. Some of them carried glasses with simple fruit juice and he accepted one of those, not wanting to risk becoming inebriated. If Shacklebolt's informant's intelligence was true, then this manor was absolutely the last place he wanted to become drunk at. He would need all his wits in order to find out whether Potter was truly held captive here or not.

Looking around the room, he decided he would just stroll around, perhaps talk to some of the other guests for now. He couldn't immediately spot either Draco Malfoy or his mother, but with how many people were present here, that was no wonder.

No matter. He would just need to be patient and await his chance.

* * *

When the music drifted to a stop, Darren looked up curiously, aware that other people had fallen silent as well. The cause for the silence stood in the middle of the staircase Darren had spotted before, smiling down on them. The wizard was wearing a mask as well, a dark blue one, set with emerald gemstones, and he was dressed in magnificent midnight blue robes, which looked like they cost at least four months' worth of Darren's pay checks. Even with the mask, his identity was easy to guess; the bright blond hair and steel grey eyes looking at them obvious clues.

Draco Malfoy.

And a step behind him, another man stood. His mask was a deep shade of green; a thin line of rubies adorning the edges. His own robes were scarlet red, looking extra bright next to the dark robes of Malfoy. He stood mostly hidden behind Malfoy and Darren furrowed his eyebrows, wondering who that man was.

The informant hadn't mentioned any lover of sorts; he didn't have the stance of a bodyguard either, so who could that be?

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor," Malfoy greeted them warmly, spreading his arms slightly. "Tonight let's celebrate Halloween, the time when the curtain between our world and theirs is lifted! Or so I'm told." He winked and people laughed. "Tonight is the time to laugh, to talk, to dance and to feast on everything Mother Nature has graciously provided us with! As always, I hope you'll have a wonderful night!" He turned to leave.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your partner?" someone called out.

Malfoy paused before turning around again, a smirk gracing his mouth. His arm reached out, pulling the other man closer to him. "Oh, you mean this man? I could introduce you, but isn't tonight known for its mysteries? Enjoy the ball, my good friend, and perhaps I'll introduce him to you later." He winked and this time when he turned around, he didn't look back in spite of the calls.

Darren couldn't care less about Malfoy, though. He stared at the other man, suspicion nagging at him. There was something familiar about the way the man stood, how he held himself. A hand reached out to touch black locks and the mysterious man cast one look around the room before letting himself be turned around by Malfoy.

For one brief moment – no longer than a second – Darren's eyes had met those of the man and that moment had been long enough to catch eyes as green as the mask he adorned.

He only knew of one person who possessed such green eyes.

_Harry Potter._

* * *

It took every last bit of restraint to not immediately fly up those stairs and grab the man he suspected to be Potter by his shoulders.

Instead he waited, until the music was back on its previous loud volume, until the people around him started talking again, some stepping towards the middle of the room to dance with their partner.

Then he waited a bit longer and once he was certain he no longer had anyone's attention, he allowed himself to be absorbed by the shadows, gliding alongside the walls. He cast the strongest Disguise Me spell he knew, which would redirect people's gaze to something else, and after ascertaining that there were no wards on the staircase itself, he silently slipped upstairs, following the spiralling steps until he stepped onto a dark landing.

His footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet hiding the flagstones from sight; the couple of portraits on the walls currently empty of their occupants. That, combined with his spell, had him sneaking around more confidently.

He'd only caught a glimpse, but that had been enough to convince him that his chances of finding Potter had significantly heightened since he'd set foot inside the manor. Now he would just need to find the man and decide what to do after that. He preferred to take Potter with him immediately, but he doubted it would be that easy. He still had no idea why Malfoy had taken Potter – why he even took the risk of proudly displaying him in front of people who could easily turn on him – but he would worry about that question later on.

His first priority was finding Potter, which wasn't so easy. This place was like a damn maze and he was starting to get worried he would never find his way back on time. The last thing he needed was to be caught wandering around. He shuddered and went to turn around another corner.

He threw himself into an alcove just in time to avoid colliding into a woman. She was dressed in a pale silver gown; her light blonde hair twisted into a complicated braid. She seemed to glide rather than walk; a serene look on her face as she walked past him to whatever her destination was.

_Narcissa Malfoy._

Darren swallowed, waiting nervously for her to disappear around the corner. Even in this dark hallway, only illuminated by some moonlight spilling through one of the windows, her beauty was hard to ignore; a fact he was angry at himself at for noticing.

So what if she was beautiful; she was also aiding and abetting her son if that man did indeed turn out to be Potter.

When he could no longer hear the rustle of her gown – chiding himself for not having listened more careful before – he continued his journey, keeping an eye – and ear – out for anything out of the ordinary.

Footsteps in a room at the end of the hallway had him slowing down, eyeing the door warily. It was left ajar; faint candle light sneaking between the gap and casting a thin line across the floor and opposite wall.

Silently he slipped his wand out of his pocket and approached the room slowly. He bent towards the gap and peeked inside, hoping to see the unknown occupant without having to cast a spell. He'd never been great at nonverbal spells after all.

He only barely managed to stifle a gasp on time.

There, right next to a ginormous bed, Harry Potter stood, divested of his mask and his outer robes.

His hands cupping his rounded belly.

* * *

**AN2: So yes, this is the first part. I hope to have the next part finished soon :) It's going to be a two shot because well, I wanted to post it today still XD**

**Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.**

**I hope to see you all back in the next part!**

**Cuddles**

**Melissa**

**P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: I finally got around to finishing this! Sorry for the delay; I've been quite busy with university, but I forced myself to finally finish this chapter. I feel like I might return to this particular universe again some time, but for now this story is finished!**

**Thanks to the following reviewers: MissUnderTaker13; littlesprout; Mila Pink; hotcat; TheBeauty; yliahjane; Rori Potter; babyvfan; DheeDixon; MirrorFlower and DarkWind; AlyssaJocelyn; Imatoiletpaper; inuyasha16451; kirsty21; Willowohwisp; gindensmi; Lover of Emotions; lil joker 1989; Ilamay; DemetriLover28**

**I'm so glad to see so many of my old reviewers back!**

**Warnings: dual pov (Darren's and Harry's); short scene of torture; character death; I think that's it? Let me know if I'm missing something else**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.**

**I hope you'll like this final part!**

* * *

**Part 2**

For the first time in a long while, Darren didn't know what to do. All he could do was stand there and gape at the sight greeting him.

_Potter was pregnant._

How had this … Why … What was Malfoy's plan? He had expected to discover a plethora of awful things – Potter long dead, being tortured, held captive somewhere in the dungeons … But never had it come up in his mind to expect the older man to be _pregnant_.

What was Malfoy's angle with this? What was he planning that he needed Potter pregnant? At once several dark rituals involving the body or the blood of a new born baby popped up in his head and he swallowed. Was Malfoy planning some sort of ritual requiring a new born child?

Why abduct Potter for that, though? Why not just choose a Pureblood woman lesser known than the famous war hero for his purpose? The disappearance of a woman, how unfortunate to admit, wouldn't be really noticeable to anyone aside from her family and the Aurors. Potter's disappearance, on the other hand, had shook the entire nation. To this day their department was getting flooded by demands of the public to intensify their search for their beloved hero. So why would Malfoy take such a huge risk instead of …

He could smack himself for being so stupid. _Of course_. Why settle for just anyone, when Malfoy could pick one of the most powerful wizards alive for his ritual? Whichever ritual he was planning, no doubt the results would be much better with Potter's magic in the mix than that of a random person.

Potter carrying a child definitely complicated matters. He didn't even want to imagine the horrors the other man had been put through during the one and a half year he'd been imprisoned here. Torture was one thing – something that unfortunately was a rather high risk in their occupation – but being forced to carry the child of your abductor? Malfoy was more despicable than he had ever expected him to be.

That made it even more paramount that he got Potter out of this place, but him being with child put a dent in his plans. He had never expected escape to be easy, but he'd counted on being able to Apparate once they were outside the wards – or perhaps even busting straight through them if it came down to that. Apparition would be too risky for the unborn child, however, which meant he would have to come up with an entirely different way to escape.

He supposed the smartest option was to retreat for now and inform his team. They could come back later with specialised objects to get Potter out of here, but now that the other man was so close in reach, Darren was reluctant to leave him behind. Especially with Malfoy's remarks about Halloween; there was a possibility he wouldn't wait until the child was born to fulfil the ritual after all.

If he left now, there was a chance they wouldn't find Potter alive when they raided the manor. He would never forgive himself if that happened.

He nodded grimly to himself; it was decided then. He would have to find a way to get Potter outside the manor and out of the wards without getting caught. Perhaps they could try putting a Glamour on Potter and sneak him outside like that? They could pretend they were just people retiring from the party, which seemed like the safest and easiest way to get out of here.

"Peeking is quite rude, hasn't anyone ever told you that?"

Darren whirled around, raising his wand and opening his mouth to cast a hex, but Malfoy was quicker. With one flick of his wrist, a ward extended from the wall and wrapped itself tightly around him, squeezing so harshly he was forced to drop his wand. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Malfoy strolling closer and grabbing his wand.

**Fuck.**

* * *

When he came to, he was quite groggy, having to blink several times in order to clear his vision. He was bound to a chair, he quickly noticed; the ropes around his wrists tightening dangerously when he tugged at them, on the verge of cutting into his skin. He stopped struggling for the moment and looked cautiously around.

The room he'd been stowed in wasn't particularly big, at least not compared to some of the rooms he'd encountered before. The walls were completely bare, showing dark red brick, and the only other furniture present aside from the chair he was seated on, was another chair, looking a lot more comfortable than his and put a couple of feet away from him. The floor was just planks, nothing more, and he pursed his lips, wondering whether the room had always been this bare or whether it had been stripped to its barest essentials just prior to his arrival.

There was nothing here that could possibly help him escape, nothing to loosen the ropes with, and his only possible exit was the door on his right. He'd been left in just a shirt and his trousers, meaning the button he could have used to alert his colleagues had been taken from him too. Clenching his jaw, he stared at his feet, really not liking his chances of survival.

"You're finally awake."

His head shot up and he cursed himself for being caught off guard. He should have pretended to be out still and he would have normally, but he hadn't heard anyone approaching the room at all. A Silencing Ward?

"I was starting to wonder whether the ward had been a tad too enthusiastic after all," Malfoy went on lightly, closing the door silently behind him. "Do forgive me; I've only just recently started studying this type of wards in depth."

Darren remained quiet, eyeing the other man warily.

Malfoy quirked a smile at that, before he sank down on the other chair, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his lap; the perfect picture of relaxation.

"You could keep quiet the entire time, but I promise you everything will go a lot smoother for you if you'll just answer my questions," he said calmly. "Like for example, what you thought you were doing, peeking at Harry? Neither him nor I appreciate that kind of thing, you know."

"I doubt he appreciates being held captive by you either," Darren sneered.

That made Malfoy laugh, throwing his head back. "Captive? You really think Harry wouldn't have left already if he wanted to? I'm not ashamed to admit that no ward would be strong enough to hold him back if he truly didn't want to be here."

Darren bared his teeth. "As if I would believe that!"

"Believe what you want." Malfoy shrugged. "Still doesn't explain what you were doing near his room."

"What do you think?" Darren sneered, trying to stretch his fingers at least a little bit. The warning spark of magic shooting alongside his skin made him stop.

"It is considered polite to answer questions – especially when you were the impolite one intruding in a private space in the first place," Malfoy smiled thinly.

"What does it matter? You've already made up your mind about what you're going to do to me anyway."

Grey eyes gleamed almost unholy. "What will happen to you depends entirely on how well you cooperate with me now."

Darren snorted, not believing that crap for one second. "I saw him with you and tracked him down so I could finally help him get away from this place."

"You ever considered the fact that he might want to be here?" Malfoy questioned casually. "Does he look like he's being held against his will? I'm pretty sure he was alone in his room, walking around, when you found him. Doesn't really scream 'captive' to me."

"Why the hell would he want to stay here with you?" Darren asked incredulously, glaring at the other wizard.

The blond man hummed thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I'm curious … Why do you think I've '_abducted_' him?"

"How the hell should I know how your mind works?" Darren snapped.

"Oh come on, you must have some idea about what I'm supposedly planning to do with Harry," Malfoy smirked, resting his chin on his balled fist. "Tell me, what does the Ministry think I'm doing with their darling Golden Boy?"

"Torture him," Darren answered curtly. "Use his blood or his magic in a dark ritual."

Malfoy sniffed. "Not very inventive, are we? Sounds more like things the Dark Lord would have planned." He cocked his head to the left. "If you think I'm planning on using him in a dark ritual, how would you explain our baby then?"

The possessive pronoun had Darren grinding his teeth; the words sending a pulse of revulsion through him.

Amusement danced in cold grey eyes. "Oh, you really don't like hearing that, hm? You have a general dislike of babies, Auror, or just a dislike of _our_ baby in particular?" His voice turned audibly colder; his free hand resting casually near his hip, where no doubt his wand was hidden.

The door opened before Darren could say something and to his surprise, Potter walked into the room, faintly frowning. At once Malfoy twisted around and smiled.

"Well, hello there. I thought you were enjoying dessert."

"I finished it. I thought you were going to deal with this quickly?" Potter remarked; green eyes briefly flickering towards Darren.

"I wanted some answers first, but he isn't very forthcoming with them," Malfoy replied amused. "Guess all Aurors share the same level of obstinacy."

Potter rolled his eyes. "He'd be a shit Auror if he just went around spilling secrets left and right."

The blond man hummed. "I suppose you're right."

"You decided yet what you're going to do with him?" Potter questioned to Darren's shock. "Your mother doesn't want you to miss too much of the festivities."

Malfoy opened his mouth to reply, but Darren cut in shocked, "How can you just stand there and pretend nothing's wrong?"

That earned him a critical look. "What exactly am I pretending?" Potter inquired, tilting his head slightly to the right.

"You – you stand there next to him and you're acting as if – as if this is all completely normal!" Darren spluttered, his brain having trouble computing just what exactly he was seeing.

How could Potter just stand there so calmly next to his abductor? Behave like nothing was out of the ordinary except for Darren's presence? Was he under the influence of some spell? That had to be it but … What kind of spell? The only one strong enough to influence a person's entire behaviour – that Darren knew of anyway – was the Imperius Curse and everyone knew Potter could throw off that curse immediately.

A potion then? Malfoy was a Master in potions – that would explain this scene a lot more.

"The only thing abnormal about this is you sneaking around the manor," Potter said primly, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What are you even doing here in the first place?"

"What I'm doing here?" Darren repeated blankly. "The entire department has been looking for you ever since you disappeared more than a year ago! We finally found out where you've been kept and now you're asking me what I'm doing here?" His voice sounded a tad strangled near the end, but he thought he could be forgiven for that, given what was currently happening.

Potter sighed and asked Malfoy, "You didn't tell him anything at all, did you?"

Malfoy shrugged; his amusement visibly growing. "I wanted to know first why he was sneaking around your room. Besides, I haven't decided yet what exactly I want to do with him."

"What the hell was he supposed to tell me?" Darren snapped; his gaze flitting back and forth between the two other men. He looked for any signs showing that Potter was under the influence of a potion, but to his mounting frustration, he couldn't spot any of the obvious signs they'd been trained to look out for.

Then again with Malfoy excelling in creating new potions, perhaps he'd found a way to disguise the signs which usually alluded to a person being under the influence of a potion. If that was the case, how was he supposed to be able to snap Potter out of it?

_Worry about that later_, he told himself, subtly tugging at the ropes again. First he had to get out of here and find a way to take Potter with him.

Instead of answering his question, Potter inquired, "What was your mission? How did you even get inside the manor in the first place?"

"That's what I'd like to know as well," Malfoy murmured, growing solemn at once.

First rule they had been taught during their training: never, ever reveal the details of your mission. No matter how insignificant the mission or its details were, an Auror remained silent, lest information about the mission could be used against him or her. As such, Darren wanted to remain tight-lipped, but what if talking about the mission would loosen whatever magical hold Malfoy had over Potter? Perhaps being reminded of his Auror work would give Potter the needed push to free himself out of the magical prison Malfoy had trapped him in.

"We received intelligence that you were sighted in Malfoy Manor," he started, ignoring Malfoy in favour of staring at Potter. "Our boss' informant had managed to get his hands on an invitation to this Halloween Ball and it was decided that I would go undercover here. My task was to find evidence of your presence here and report back to them."

"There was nothing to indicate that my disappearance was an abduction," Potter commented, crossing his arms on top of his stomach. "People go off the radar all the time. Why did you treat me as a missing person's case then?"

Malfoy laughed, rising up from the chair to embrace Potter from behind; his hands resting low on the rounded belly. "Because you're still their Golden Child – or Golden Man," he amended, "and they absolutely abhor the thought of not being able to exert any sort of influence on you. How are they supposed to be in control of you if they don't know where you are?"

"Controlling him? Do you hear yourself talking?" Darren demanded angrily, glaring at the gleeful looking wizard. "If anyone's controlling him, it's you!"

"Nobody is controlling me and I would appreciate it if you don't talk like I'm not here," Potter said irritated, swiping some wayward strands of black hair out of his face. "You can just go back and tell them I'm fine. Close the case; it's ridiculous you even opened one considering there was no evidence of malicious intent."

"You disappeared into thin air one day and nobody could find you for months!" Darren snapped. "And now I'm supposed to believe you're just fine?"

"Yes, because I'm telling you I'm fine," Potter said slowly, a hint of condescension in his voice. "I wasn't abducted; I'm here out of my own free will."

Darren shook his head. "You're just saying that because he's here or because you're under the influence of some sort of potion, I don't know. But I can promise you we'll find a way - "

"Are you deaf?" Potter barked and he jumped as much as the ropes allowed him, staring at him wide-eyed. "I'm not under the influence of a spell or a potion or whatever else, for Merlin's sake! I'm here because I want to be here!"

"But why? He's Malfoy!"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were related to the Weasleys," Malfoy murmured; his eyes half-lidded. He remained standing behind Potter and started caressing his stomach almost leisurely.

"Yes, he's a Malfoy," Potter said impatiently, slashing his hand through the air. "And as you can see, I'm more than fine with that," he added sarcastically, waving at his stomach.

"If you're really fine, then tell me why nobody has heard from you in months!" Darren demanded frustrated. How could Potter expect him to believe this bullshit about him being fine when nobody had even heard as much as a peep from him since the day he disappeared into thin air?

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Potter muttered annoyed and turned his head to look at Malfoy. "Give me a moment with him alone, please. I'll explain things to him and then we can finally go on with our evening."

Malfoy threw his ropes a speculating look. "Hm, fine. Ten minutes and then I'm coming back," he warned him and gripped Potter's chin, kissing him full on his mouth. He was smirking when he left the room, the bastard.

Heaving a loud sigh, Potter sank down in the chair, resting his left hand on top of his belly. "I'm only going to say this once so shut up and listen," he said warningly. "The reason why I didn't reach out to anybody this past year and a half is simple: _I wanted to be left alone_."

Darren opened his mouth to point out he obviously wasn't alone, but snapped it shut when green eyes flared up dangerously.

"Draco came to me with an interesting proposal and I followed him back here to work on it together with him. I knew how my friends would react, how the department would react if you all knew I was meeting up with Draco and I wasn't in the mood for constant arguing." He leant back in his chair with a huff. "If I had known you would mark me as a missing person _even though nothing indicated I was missing against my will_, I would have sent you a goddamn letter."

"What kind of proposal?" Darren asked suspiciously, privately thinking Potter was an idiot.

How could he expect not to be marked as a missing person when he'd disappeared without any warning? How else should they have considered his disappearance?

"He's building a new political party," Potter answered calmly, but there was barely restrained pride audible in his voice and visible in the depths of his deep green eyes. "One which unites every species and seeks to create new laws to give everyone the same rights."

"And you believe that crap?" Darren asked incredulously.

It seemed that for once the rumours had been right, though – the youngest Malfoy had aspiring political ambitions. The question was: what was Potter's place in all that? It wasn't as if Potter had ever expressed a desire to get into politics.

"Why wouldn't I when I see the evidence nearly every week here?" Potter smiled thinly, waving his hand around. "Why wouldn't I believe him when I was there to witness him holding talks with both vampires and werewolves? Why wouldn't I believe in his cause when I see all kinds of species intermingling with each other during the parties here, talking and enjoying the festivities, all of them secure in the knowledge that they are treated equally here? Why wouldn't I believe him when I've seen his law proposals with my own eyes?"

"Are you that naive?" Darren shook his head in disbelief. "You really believe he'll be able to change all these laws just for those non-human beings? There's a reason why these laws were set up that way in the first place, Potter! To protect us from the Dark Creatures! You can't expect a wolf to be treated equally as us when he's not human to begin with! Are you out of your mind? How many dangerous species has he been promising that bullshit to? Do you want a new wa-"

"One of the bravest men I knew was a werewolf," Potter said quietly and there was something in his voice, a certain kind of sharpness, hard as steel, that made Darren shut up immediately. "He fought twice against Voldemort. He could have gone into hiding if he wanted to, but he didn't. He fought bravely just like the other wizards and witches standing up against Voldemort. I myself have been rescued twice by a vampire – if it hadn't been for him, I probably wouldn't be here anymore."

He slowly rose up; his eyes glowing almost unnaturally green. "If wanting equal rights for everyone is being naïve, then you can call me naïve all you want. But at least I know what's right. I know what I'm willing to fight for and it's not the Ministry's biased laws. Draco is preparing a new future for all of us and I'll gladly help him with that."

"Don't you realise he's been manipulating you?" Darren asked incredulously. "Do you hear yourself talking right now? You've been working for the Ministry ever since you graduated from Hogwarts and now all of a sudden you're turning your back to us? Don't you see how he's been manipulating you all this time?"

The laugh which escaped Potter was harsh and cold, sending shivers down his spine. His stomach performed several uncomfortable flips when burning green eyes locked onto his.

"It's funny how you all are quick to tell me I'm being manipulated by Draco, all because I'm saying something that you don't agree with. If we're going to throw out accusations of manipulation, you should direct them at the Ministry, not at Draco," Potter said clipped.

Darren stared at him numbly. This was much worse than he'd initially thought. Somehow Malfoy had managed to turn Potter against them, against the Ministry and it sounded an awful lot like the Potion Master was preparing an uprising against them. Talking to Dark Creatures, letting them gather in one place, drafting up new laws … Malfoy was planning to overthrow the Ministry and Potter was one of his pawns.

He'd been wrong. Malfoy wasn't planning on using Potter's magic in a ritual – _he was planning to use him against their world._

With an army of Dark Creatures and one of the most powerful wizards alive on his side, Malfoy would practically be an unstoppable force.

Darren had to admit: the youngest Malfoy was a genius. How spread out was his network already? How many different species had he managed to sweettalk so far? Did he have connections in other countries? How many powerful people aside from Potter could he count as his allies?

They had been right to be wary, the people who'd been wanting to catch Malfoy red-handed. A threat was growing right underneath their noses and if it hadn't been for him, they would never have known about it until it had been too late.

Perhaps it was already too late, but Darren would be damned if he let Malfoy get away with this. He wouldn't allow that man, that son of a bitch, to ruin their world. You-Know-Who hadn't succeeded and he would make sure that Malfoy wouldn't either.

"Look, why don't you come back with me to show everyone you're fine?" he suggested, keeping his voice calm and even. "Everybody's worried about you; I'm sure your friends will be happy to see you again."

"It's not like I'm planning to never show up in public again." Potter rolled his eyes. "I'll come back once I'm ready. In the meantime you can inform everyone to call off the search, because clearly _I'm fine_."

"There are going to be questions, Potter," Darren said tersely. "They'll want to know why you refuse to show up, what your relationship with Malfoy is … They'll want you to be examined and they're going to question why you're keep-" He cut himself off just in time, but the damage was done.

"They're going to question why I'm keeping what?" Potter asked, almost casually, but his whole posture changed, shifting from relaxed to defensive in just a couple of seconds and Darren was instantly reminded that he was looking at the wizard who'd set a new record for every practical course in the Auror training.

This was the man who'd stunned Jenkins so much with his impressive array of curses and spells that the man hadn't been able to take exams for the rest of the week. The one whose name had popped up several times already as a possible candidate for the position of Head Auror, in spite of his young age.

The man who'd survived the Killing Curse twice and had defeated the strongest Dark Wizard of their time when he'd been just seventeen years old.

"What am I keeping?" Potter repeated, raising one eyebrow.

"Nothing, just … why you keep staying here," Darren hastened to correct himself, but it was too late.

"Why I'm keeping my baby, you mean," Potter said and he sounded deadly calm.

His calm demeanour didn't put Darren at ease.

Potter took a step closer and unwillingly Darren pressed back against the chair; the material groaning lowly in protest.

"You're not the first one snooping around in the manor to find me, you know," Potter murmured and suddenly he was twirling his wand between his fingers; the tip of it shooting off the occasional red spark. "There was another one before you, around two months ago. I'm guessing he was an Unspeakable, but I didn't care to ask. He found me in the garden here and the rude bastard he was, he used a device to figure out whether I was under the influence of something. He found out about the baby and then had the nerve to insist he could take me away from here and get me to a place to get rid of '_that thing_' as he called my baby."

"What happened to him?" Darren barely managed to bring out; his mouth utterly dry.

Potter's smile turned his blood into ice. "He got what he deserved," he replied simply and turned around. "Just like you will."

"Wait, Potter!"

But Potter didn't listen. He marched to the door and opened it, waving Malfoy inside. "He's all yours."

"Any requests?" Malfoy asked amused, entering the room again.

Potter slipped past him into the hallway; his back ramrod straight. "Get rid of him completely."

"Your wish is my command," Malfoy murmured, slipping his wand out of his pocket. He prowled closer and Darren tensed when he disappeared out of his view, coming to a stop right behind him.

"I don't know what you said to piss him off that much, but I can't have you upsetting him. That just won't do." He clucked his tongue and for a moment nothing happened.

Then his blood started boiling and Darren _screamed_.

* * *

Harry looked up when the door swung open silently, revealing Draco, who smiled when he laid eyes on him and Narcissa.

"You finished with him?" Harry asked curiously, gathering the cards.

"Yes. Well, _I'm_ finished with him; the curse isn't quite yet." Silver grey eyes glittered and the corners of his mouth curled up in a satisfied smirk.

"We really need to screen the visitors better," Narcissa sighed and rose up, brushing non existing dust away from her dress. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, darlings. I'm retreating to my room."

"Good night, _maman_," Harry smiled, directing the cards back to their spot on the shelf with a flick of his wand.

She gave him a pleased, warm smile and kissed his forehead, brushing her hand gently over his belly. "Good night, sweetheart."

She paused to kiss Draco's cheek, touching the back of his wrist with hers before she disappeared into the hallway, leaving them alone.

"What?" Harry asked puzzled when Draco looked at him knowingly.

"You really know how to wrap my mother around your finger, don't you?" Draco chuckled, crossing the distance between them. He offered his hands and Harry let himself be pulled onto his feet. "She's over the moon now."

Harry shrugged, a bit bashful. "She won't let me call her Madam and says me calling her by her first name feels a bit impersonal, so …" he trailed off, wrinkling his nose slightly.

He couldn't call her 'mum' because he only had one mum and that had been Lily and it wouldn't feel right to call anyone else 'mum'. He didn't mind calling her the French equivalent of mother, though, and it obviously pleased her, so he didn't see a point in not calling her that when it made her so happy.

"You're probably her favourite now," Draco told him amused and slipped his arms around him, resting his hands right above his arse. "Now, I know our schedule became rather messed up thanks to that noisy Auror, but would you care to join me for a dance, Mister Potter?"

Harry cast a glance around the mini library – or well, what was considered mini in Malfoy standards at least – and raised an eyebrow. "I'd love to, but this doesn't seem like an appropriate place for our dance."

The smirk Draco graced him with had butterflies dancing wildly inside of him.

"Oh, I know just the right place for this."

* * *

Harry whistled lowly when he took in how the Auror who'd been snooping around, looked right now. He was still bound to his chair, but his mouth had completely disappeared, flesh having grown over it. His shirt was in tatters around him, bright pink lacerations crisscrossing his chest. A curse was slowly turning his skin into rough stone and as Harry watched, the skin on the man's stomach darkened into a grey colour and when the man tensed, flecks of stone cracked off, dusting his trousers.

"Any reason why the curse is so slow now?" Harry asked interested. He'd seen this particular curse in action before and usually it took less than two minutes for the victim to turn completely into stone.

"I put another layer on top of it," Draco explained, pulling him towards the middle of the room. The Auror's terrified gaze was locked onto them, but he was unable to move; his lower half completely turned to stone already. "If he changes his mind about the things he said that upset you before, then the curse will end and he's free to go," he murmured in Harry's ear.

"And if he doesn't?"

Draco shrugged and pointed his wand at a music box, resting on a small table near the window. Soft, classical music instantly filled the room; the violin sounds sweetly accompanying the piano.

"Then the house elves will have one more statue to dust off I suppose." He eyed the Auror contemplatively. "On the other hand, he wouldn't really make a nice statue. An eyesore, that one." He sniffed and put his wand back in his holster.

"Can't have him ruining the aesthetics," Harry said dryly and wrapped his arms around Draco's neck, smiling when he felt hands descending on his hips. They started slowly dancing, letting the music guide their steps as they whirled through the room.

He might never become a perfect dancer, but he did all right, he thought and pressed himself closer to Draco.

"I don't need rumours flying around that I lost my good taste," Draco said airily. "Besides, you said I could do what I wanted with him."

"Yes, I did," Harry murmured, letting Draco dip him low for a moment.

When he straightened back up, he briefly glanced at the tied up man, who was desperately trying to free himself. His struggle was useless; already the curse had progressed to his upper chest and the more he moved, the more cracks appeared in the rest of his body; bits and pieces fluttering to the floor.

It made for a rather macabre sight but Harry didn't care. If the man was unwilling to listen, then he deserved what was coming to him. He wouldn't allow anyone to harm Draco or their baby and his former colleague had made it more than clear what he thought about both of them.

He'd made his bed; now he had to lie in it.

"You don't regret this?" Draco asked, quirking an eyebrow as he twirled the dark haired man around the chair.

Harry looked at him, at the man who'd promised him a new world, a world where everyone would be equal; a world where his godson would never have to fear discrimination because of who his father had been. Who'd given him a new family, a new purpose in life.

The man who'd grown up from a spiteful, selfish brat to a strong leader, capable of uniting different species.

The man who loved him for who he was, his real self; not the one the Ministry had urged him to be. Who loved just Harry and not _the_ Harry Potter.

"I don't regret anything," Harry whispered and their mouths met in a deep, but tender kiss; their baby son fussing within him.

They stood on the evening of a new beginning, a new world, and there was nowhere else Harry would rather want to be.

His place was with Draco and he'd fight everyone who would try to take him away from here.

The music slowed to a stop and they did as well, parting to bow at each other. As the statue next to them cracked for the final time and fell apart, their hands found each other and Harry smiled.

"Ready for another dance?" Draco asked, smiling, his cheeks slightly flushed, and Harry nodded grinning, easily fitting their bodies together, just like two pieces of a puzzle.

He was ready for everything with Draco on his side.

**The End**

* * *

**AN2: Not as horrorish as I wanted to, but the story wrote itself like this, so yeah *coughs* I hope you liked it nonetheless! As I mentioned, I might return to this particular universe if inspiration strikes me again, but for now this story is finished :)**

**Please leave a review behind with your thoughts; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.**

**I hope to see you all back in my future stories!**

**Cuddles**

**Melissa**

**P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.**


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